English EFL Cup Odds

The English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) might not have the status of the FA Cup, but make no mistake about it – it's taken very seriously by Premier League sides. It also offers some excellent betting opportunities, thanks to a total of 92 sides from both the Premier League and English Football League and seven rounds of play. Indeed, the competition contains plenty of scope for value bets before the competition starts, cash-out opportunities and some genuine round-by-round interest.

Understanding EFL Cup Odds

With all 92 clubs from the EFL and Premier League entered, the range of EFL odds is huge – with a spread of outright prices in 2018/19 ranging from 5/1 for Manchester City to 2000-1 for huge underdogs such as Stevenage or Morecambe.

Fundamentally, the odds for the outright win market and individual matches are predominantly based on the league and quality of each side, but there are other factors to consider, such as:

Premier League sides

Premier League sides don't enter the competition until the second or third round, depending on whether they're engaged in European action. Premiership sides therefore have an added advantage, even before factoring in their quality.

EFL Cup knockout structure

The structure of the EFL Cup makes it crucial to consider the odds in relation to the games being one-legged (with the exception of the semi-final, which is played over two legs). Each match is also decided on the night, meaning extra-time and penalties rather than a replay. This means the home and away advantage needs to be carefully looked at in terms of ELF Cup odds and their perceived value.

Team lineups

Team lineups can affect the EFL Cup odds and also create value for astute bettors. While the performance of top sides in the competition doesn't point to weaker squad selections being played, teams are still notorious for changing their lineups for League Cup games.

Finding the Best EFL Cup Betting Odds

The EFL Cup contains a huge number of games, which means it enjoys robust coverage from leading UK bookmakers. It's also a hit with punters, both in the outright, game-by-game and in-play betting markets. In fact, because the games are decided on the night and sides use a range of tactics to try and get through, there's a lot of potential for interesting bets both before and after kick-off.

It's well worth searching around for the best EFL Cup odds, and you can easily pick up slightly better prices by scouting around the bookies. Alternatively, you can cut the hassle by using a resource such as bookmakers.co.uk which features the best value EFL betting odds.

Top English EFL Cup Betting Markets to Consider

The English EFL Cup can be punted on through a very diverse range of bets, including Outright win, Game-by-game, Top Scorer and Cash-out.

Outright

Betting on the winner of the EFL Cup is one of the most popular markets, and while a few sides like Swansea and Birmingham have caused a shock during the last decade, the competition is usually dominated by the elite sides. Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have shared the cup between them during the last five seasons. The best bet for EFL Cup success is one of the top 4-5 sides in the Premier League at odds under 10/1, along with a value bet on your dark horse.

Game-by-game

Betting on individual EFL Cup games offers plenty of depth for punters who like to crunch the stats and subjectively analyse games. In addition to team changes, there's also the home:away factor related tactics to consider for one-legged knockout games.

Top scorer

Norwich City’s Josh Murphy and Leeds’ Samu Saiz both banged in four goals during last season’s EFL Cup, making them joint top scorers along with Islam Slimani of Leicester City. This meant that second-rate strikers scored more goals than Kun Aguero, who netted three for winners Manchester City. Therefore it can pay to look for value strikers who aren't from the top sides.

Cash-out EFL

Backing a side to win the EFL League Cup and then cashing out for a profit is an interesting way to bet on the competition. Liverpool at 8/1 appeals as a value top side for this purpose, with the Reds having the ability to beat anyone on a good day.

The English League Cup kicks-off on Tuesday 14 August 2018. While the big boys will be waiting in the wings to enter the competition, there's certainly plenty of EFL Cup betting potential before they do.